In the early weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv had repeatedly shared footage of its Bayraktar TB2 drones in action. The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-weight drone made by Turkey. The Ukrainian military has shared footage of its Bayraktar TB2 drones firing small smart bombs to destroy Russian air defences, supply columns and light armoured vehicles.
However, Kyiv's fleet of Bayraktar drones has also suffered losses from Russian ground-based air defences.
Last month, the Joe Biden administration authorised the dispatch of Switchblade 'loitering munitions' to Ukraine. Loitering munitions are drones that fly in surveillance mode, looking for targets before crashing into one in a kamikaze attack. The Switchblade is light enough to be carried by a single soldier.
However, Ukraine has been pleading for more sophisticated drones as well as other systems from the US and NATO members. On Tuesday, Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the US, acknowledged to The Washington Post she had met last week with executives of General Atomics, the company that made the legendary Predator UAV and its heavier successor, the Reaper, as well as the smaller Gray Eagle.
Markarova was quoted by The Washington Post as saying “we discussed with General Atomics the prospects of increasing the capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current situation in Ukraine”. She declined to comment on what sort of equipment was sought from General Atomics, only stating Ukraine would prefer to “surprise Russia on the battlefield”.
C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesperson for General Atomics, told The Washington Post US government approval was needed for giving aircraft to Ukraine. “We have aircraft available now for immediate transfer. With support from the U.S. government, those aircraft could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots in a matter of days,” Brinkley told The Washington Post. He added such equipment from General Atomics would give Ukraine's military “highly lethal strike capabilities not afforded” by its current fleet of smaller UAVs.
He also told The Washington Post “Ukrainian pilots already familiar with drone operations would not be 'starting from scratch' in learning how to fly them.”
Heavier drones from General Atomics would mark a quantum leap for Ukraine. For instance, the Reaper UAV can carry a payload of around 1.7 tonnes, over 10 times the capacity of the Bayraktar TB2. The Reaper can also carry a range of weapons such as surface-to-air missiles, guided bombs and even heat-seeking air-to-air missiles.
Last week, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov mentioned “strike drones” as one type of system the country needed, along with tanks, anti-ship missiles, artillery and air defence equipment.
The Washington Post report on Ukraine's interest in heavier drones comes as the Biden administration is poised to provide a new arms assistance package to Kyiv, valued at $750 million. “Preliminary plans circulating among government officials and lawmakers in Washington also included Mi-17 helicopters, howitzer cannons, coastal defense drones and protective suits to safeguard personnel in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear attack,” The Washington Post reported. However, later, an official said the Russian-made Mi-17 would not be part of the package.
